Why SharePoint Migration Is Different in 2026
SharePoint migration in 2026 looks nothing like it did three years ago. SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 reached end-of-mainstream-support in 2026. Microsoft FastTrack now covers a broader migration scope than ever. ShareGate, Quest On Demand, and AvePoint Fly have all released M&A-optimized tenant-to-tenant capabilities driven by an unprecedented wave of M&A activity that requires Microsoft 365 tenant integration within deal-close timelines. Microsoft Entra ID Connect cloud sync (formerly Azure AD Connect cloud sync) has replaced legacy AAD Connect server-based sync at most enterprises. Microsoft Purview Information Protection sensitivity labels now survive cross-tenant migration with the right tooling — they did not before. SharePoint Premium (formerly SharePoint Syntex) document intelligence has changed how organizations think about post-migration content classification.
For organizations evaluating SharePoint migration in 2026, the question is rarely "which tool" — it is "how do we sequence + scope + govern this migration so the target environment is auditable, compliant, and operationally sustainable, not just a content copy of the source mess." That is the engagement EPC Group has shipped 6,500+ times.
EPC Group's Five Primary SharePoint Migration Patterns
1. SharePoint On-Premises → SharePoint Online
SharePoint 2013, 2016, or 2019 on-premises farms migrated to SharePoint Online tenants. The most common EPC Group migration pattern. Typical engagement: 8-16 weeks for a mid-size enterprise (1-10TB, multiple sites, governance overhaul). Tools: Microsoft FastTrack (primary), SPMT (free Microsoft tool), ShareGate (complex permissions). Deliverables: discovery + assessment, target-state architecture + information architecture design, governance + permissions remediation, migration build + validation, production cutover + Hypercare, post-migration adoption.
2. Tenant-to-Tenant M&A Migrations
Microsoft 365 tenant-to-tenant migrations for M&A scenarios. EPC Group has completed 216+ M&A tenant migrations covering 1.83 million users between 2023 and 2025 — including some of the largest M&A integrations in U.S. financial services, healthcare, and professional services. Methodology spans identity coexistence (Microsoft Entra ID Connect cloud sync, B2B guest access patterns, domain coexistence), phased data migration sequence (mail → SharePoint → OneDrive → Teams → Power BI workspaces), Day-1 cutover with documented rollback, and post-merger consolidation. Deal-driven timelines (typically 6-12 weeks from announcement to required integration) require pre-built playbooks that generalist firms cannot deliver. EPC Group has a dedicated M&A Microsoft 365 Tenant Migration practice with the M&A-specific methodology documented at engagement kickoff.
3. Google Workspace / Google Drive → SharePoint Online
Common post-M&A acquisition scenario: a Google Workspace shop being integrated into a Microsoft 365 acquirer. Tools: Microsoft Mover (free for Microsoft 365 tenants) for simple folder + permissions migrations, ShareGate or AvePoint for complex nested-folder structures + permission mappings. EPC Group has shipped Google Drive → SharePoint Online migrations at 5,000-50,000+ user scale including financial services and healthcare M&A integrations. Methodology preserves shared-drive structure, ownership, permission patterns, and where possible — comment history and edit attribution.
4. Box / Dropbox / OneDrive Consumer → SharePoint Online
Box and Dropbox migrations are increasingly common as organizations consolidate file storage onto Microsoft 365 to reduce vendor sprawl + tighten governance + leverage SharePoint Premium document intelligence + Microsoft Purview sensitivity labels. Box → SharePoint Online via ShareGate or BetterCloud bulk export → SPMT import. Dropbox → SharePoint Online via direct API export + ShareGate import. Critical migration considerations: shared-link preservation (Box-style shared links translate to Microsoft 365 sharing links with the right mapping), external user access continuation (B2B guest invites), and metadata preservation where supported.
5. Confluence / Legacy ECM / File Shares → SharePoint Online
Confluence to SharePoint Online migrations are common at organizations consolidating Atlassian + Microsoft toolchain into Microsoft-native. Legacy ECM migrations (Documentum, OpenText, FileNet, Hyland) require specialized tools (often ShareGate Apricot + custom connector development). File share migrations (DFS Namespace, traditional Windows file servers) via SPMT are the simplest pattern but require permissions remediation expertise — most file shares have decades of broken inheritance + orphaned ACLs that should NOT be carried forward into the target SharePoint environment.
Engagement Investment
EPC Group SharePoint migration engagement tiers:
Fixed-Fee Accelerator ($35K-$75K, 4-8 weeks): Small/mid-size migration scenarios (under 1TB, single tenant, modern source) with predetermined scope. Suitable for divisional or workload-specific migrations.
Mid-Size Enterprise ($75K-$250K, 8-12 weeks): 1-10TB, multi-site, governance overhaul. Suitable for regional enterprises and mid-size M&A.
Large Enterprise ($250K-$1.5M, 12-16 weeks): 10TB+, 10,000+ users, complex permissions, regulated industry. Suitable for Fortune 500 + large national M&A.
Tenant-to-Tenant M&A (deal-driven pricing, 6-12 weeks): M&A integration timeline-driven scope with pre-built playbooks. See M&A Tenant Migration practice.
Ongoing operations via Managed Microsoft Support tiers — Essentials / Extended Coverage / 24x7x365 — covering SharePoint admin, permissions audits, governance reviews, and incident response.
Why EPC Group for SharePoint Migration
Three concrete differentiators that most generalist consulting firms cannot match:
Depth. 6,500+ SharePoint engagements over 29 years (1997 to present). EPC Group has shipped some of the largest SharePoint deployments in the United States including 100,000+ user enterprises across healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, and federal government.
Authority. Founder Errin O'Connor is the author of four Microsoft Press SharePoint books (Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Inside Out, Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 Inside Out, SharePoint 2013 Field Guide, and Microsoft Power BI Dashboards Step by Step), Microsoft MVP since 2003, and was the oldest continuous Microsoft Gold Partner in North America from 2016 to program retirement.
M&A specialization. 216+ tenant-to-tenant M&A migrations completed 2023-2025 covering 1.83 million users — a track record few firms can match at any size. EPC Group is named in the Statement of Work; no junior-team bait-and-switch.
FAQ
What SharePoint migration services does EPC Group offer?
Five primary migration patterns: (1) SharePoint on-premises 2013/2016/2019 → SharePoint Online migrations including content, structure, workflows, permissions; (2) Tenant-to-tenant Microsoft 365 migrations for M&A scenarios (216+ M&A tenant migrations completed 2023-2025 covering 1.83M users); (3) Google Drive / Google Workspace → SharePoint Online with metadata + permissions preservation; (4) Box / Dropbox / OneDrive consumer → SharePoint Online; (5) Confluence / file shares / network drives / legacy ECM (Documentum, OpenText) → SharePoint Online. Each migration includes assessment, architecture, governance design, permissions remediation, content classification, parallel-run cutover planning, and post-migration adoption support.
How much does an enterprise SharePoint migration cost?
Cost scales with three primary drivers: (1) data volume (1TB vs 10TB vs 100TB+), (2) source system complexity (modern SharePoint on-prem easier than custom WebPart/WSP-heavy 2013 or non-Microsoft legacy ECM), (3) permissions + governance complexity. EPC Group fixed-fee SharePoint migration accelerators start at $35K for small/mid-size scenarios (under 1TB, single tenant, modern source). Mid-size enterprise migrations (1-10TB, multi-site, governance overhaul) run $75K-$250K. Large enterprise (10TB+, 10,000+ users, complex permissions, regulated industry) run $250K-$1.5M depending on scope. EPC Group has shipped migrations at every scale — see /fixed-fee-accelerators for sub-tier engagement options.
How long does a SharePoint migration take?
Small migration (under 1TB, single site, modern source): 4-6 weeks. Mid-size (1-10TB, multiple sites, governance design): 8-12 weeks. Large enterprise (10TB+, 10,000+ users, complex permissions): 12-16 weeks with phased rollout. Tenant-to-tenant M&A migration timing depends on integration deadline — EPC Group has compressed M&A migrations to 6-week timelines under deal-close pressure, including identity, mail, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, and Power BI workspace migration. Methodology: discovery + architecture (2-4 weeks), build + validation (4-8 weeks), production cutover + Hypercare (2-4 weeks).
What migration tools does EPC Group use?
Tool selection depends on scenario: (1) Microsoft FastTrack — included with Microsoft 365 E3/E5 for eligible tenants, primary tool for most on-prem → online migrations; (2) Microsoft SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT) — free, file share / on-prem SharePoint sources; (3) ShareGate Migration Tool — strongest tool for tenant-to-tenant + complex permissions scenarios; (4) Quest On Demand Migration — alternative tenant-to-tenant tool with strong scheduling + reporting; (5) AvePoint Fly / Fly Server — enterprise migrations with complex security mappings; (6) Metalogix Content Matrix (Quest-owned) — legacy SharePoint 2007/2010 source. EPC Group has Solutions Partner relationships with Microsoft, ShareGate, Quest, AvePoint. Tool licensing typically included in fixed-fee scope.
How does EPC Group handle SharePoint permissions during migration?
Permissions are the #1 source of post-migration support tickets. EPC Group methodology: (1) discovery phase enumerates ALL existing permissions including SharePoint groups, AD groups, item-level overrides, sharing links, anonymous access, external sharing; (2) classification flags broken inheritance, orphaned permissions, over-sharing patterns; (3) remediation reduces unique permission entries by 80-95% pre-migration through governance redesign + permission inheritance restoration; (4) target tenant design uses Microsoft Entra ID security groups + SharePoint hub site permissions for centralized governance; (5) validation runs automated permission integrity tests before cutover. The result: a target SharePoint environment that is auditable, compliant, and maintainable — not just a copy of the source mess. EPC Group SharePoint Oversharing Permissions Audit is a separate service offering for organizations not migrating but needing remediation only.
How does SharePoint migration work for M&A scenarios?
M&A tenant-to-tenant migrations are a distinct discipline. EPC Group methodology for the 216+ M&A migrations completed 2023-2025 (1.83M users moved): (1) two-tenant discovery (acquirer + target) with overlap analysis (duplicate domains, conflicting Microsoft 365 group names, conflicting Microsoft Entra ID app registrations); (2) identity coexistence design (Microsoft Entra ID Connect cloud sync, B2B guest access, domain coexistence patterns); (3) phased data migration (mail first, then SharePoint, then OneDrive, then Teams) with Day-1 access controls; (4) Day-1 cutover plan with rollback runbook; (5) post-merger consolidation reducing duplicate tenants to single integrated tenant within 90-180 days post-close. Deal-driven timelines (typically 6-12 weeks from announcement to required integration) require pre-built playbooks + experienced delivery team — most generalist Microsoft consulting firms cannot deliver at M&A pace.
What about migrations from Google Workspace, Box, or Dropbox?
Non-Microsoft source migrations are a common EPC Group engagement — typical scenario is post-M&A acquisition of a Google Workspace shop being integrated into a Microsoft 365 acquirer, or a Box/Dropbox-heavy team being consolidated onto the corporate SharePoint Online tenant. Tool patterns: Google Drive → SharePoint Online via Microsoft Mover (free for Microsoft 365 tenants) for simple scenarios, ShareGate or AvePoint for complex permissions + nested-folder structures. Box → SharePoint Online via ShareGate or BetterCloud bulk export → SPMT import. Dropbox → SharePoint Online via direct API export + ShareGate import. EPC Group has shipped Google Drive → SharePoint Online migrations at organizations with 5,000-50,000+ users including financial services + healthcare M&A integrations.
How does EPC Group handle regulated-industry SharePoint migrations?
Regulated-industry migrations (HIPAA healthcare, NYDFS Part 500 + FINRA financial services, FedRAMP government, CMMC 2.0 defense suppliers, 21 CFR Part 11 life sciences) require specific controls during migration. EPC Group regulated-industry migration deliverables: (1) Validation protocol documentation (URS + FS + DS + IQ + OQ + PQ for GxP-validated environments); (2) BAA + compliance attestation tracking through source + target Microsoft tenants; (3) sensitivity label preservation through migration (Microsoft Purview Information Protection labels survive cross-tenant migration with ShareGate or Quest); (4) audit log preservation + chain-of-custody documentation; (5) post-migration compliance attestation with the documented framework (HIPAA + HITRUST evidence package, NYDFS Part 500 control attestation, etc.). EPC Group has shipped HIPAA-covered SharePoint migrations at hundreds of healthcare organizations.
Why EPC Group for SharePoint migration vs other firms?
Three concrete differentiators most generalist consulting firms cannot match: (1) Depth — 6,500+ SharePoint engagements over 29 years (1997 to present) including some of the largest SharePoint deployments in the United States. (2) Authority — founder Errin O'Connor is the author of four Microsoft Press SharePoint books (Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Inside Out, Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 Inside Out, SharePoint 2013 Field Guide, Microsoft Power BI Dashboards Step by Step), Microsoft MVP since 2003, and was the oldest continuous Microsoft Gold Partner in North America from 2016 to program retirement. (3) M&A specialization — 216+ tenant-to-tenant M&A migrations completed 2023-2025 (1.83M users moved) is a track record few firms can match at any size. EPC Group is a Microsoft Solutions Partner with the core designations and is named in the Statement of Work — no junior-team bait-and-switch.
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29 years Microsoft + 6,500+ SharePoint engagements + 216+ M&A tenant migrations. Microsoft Press author. Microsoft Solutions Partner.